s/v Nine of Cups South Atlantic Crossing Tristan da Cunha 14 Nov - 21 Dec 2006

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The decision to cross the Atlantic was made when we were in Ushuaia and feeling tired of being so cold. Once we headed north up the Argentine coast, it seemed foolish to slog back down and then go west so we changed our minds as cruisers often do and after a relaxing five months touring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay and working on Nine of Cups, we headed out on 14 November for Cape Town, South Africa. This would be our longest passage to date, nearly 4,000 nautical miles. Our goal was to arrive in Cape Town for Christmas.

We witnessed many outstanding South Atlantic sunsets like the one above. Those are wandering albatross soaring by, looking for dinner.

David splices a jib furling line which chafed through during the trip.

All in all, it was a pleasant passage. After our usual initial bout of seasickness, we were up and about and enjoying our life at sea. There was always something to do or to fix, we read, talked and planned. It's easy to lose track of day and date so we concocted lots of celebrations to differentiate the days. Some were easy...Marcie's birthday and Thanksgiving. Others took some pondering...GMT Day (the day we set our clocks to GMT time), Prime Meridian Day, 1,000 Miles Under the Keel, 2,000 Miles Under the Keel,  1,000 Miles Left to Cape Town, Tristan da Cunha Day. There was no dearth of celebrations aboard. The biggest thrill of the passage, however, was arriving at Tristan da Cunha and having the opportunity to go ashore.

The most comfortable bunk in the boat during a passage is one of the saloon settees. We take turns, 3 hours on/off. Jelly slept with whomever was off.

Land ho! Tristan da Cunha in sight!

Tristan da Cunha, discovered by Portugese explorer, Tristan da Cunhao in 1506, is according to the Guiness Book of Records, THE REMOTEST inhabited island in the world. The anchorage at Edinburgh on the north coast is an open roadstead and weather-dependent. After 2500 miles of sailing, we were fortunate enough to have light southerly breezes when we arrived and had the chance to go ashore for two consecutive days. The island's population is about 300 people...all hardy and independent souls. The islanders primary source of income is the harvest of Tristan lobsters and fish for export. They grow most of their own produce in an area on the east coast called "the patches". They raise their own livestock, mostly sheep and cattle and chickens. They seem keenly aware of nature's fine balance and limit the number of livestock to amount of grazing areas available. They fish, but make sure the lobsters are replenishing. Our stay there was no less than magical.

We had "met" Andy Repetto, the island's resident HAM, via email from Uruguay and then chatted with him daily en route to Tristan. At right, Andy and his wife, Lorraine, offered us hospitality beyond our wildest dreams. An island tour, lunch at their home, Tristan lobsters, taters, mutton, beef and cider...and most of all, their friendship.

A view from the deck of Nine of Cups of "the Settlement" as Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is called. The town is tiny with one main paved road and a surprisingly large number of vehicles.

The lobster boat comes in to the little harbor. This boat collects lobsters from all the other boats out and returns with the current day's catch for processing at the factory.

Tristan lobsters!!! Man, were they ever good. Andy & Lorraine gave us a freezer full and we enjoyed them even after we arrived in South Africa!

The anchorage was deep (75') and open to the wind and swells. For two days we managed nicely, but the wind and weather changed on day 3 and we made a hurried departure.

The setting is pastoral and tranquil. Sheep graze and people walk along well worn paths to their homes and little businesses in town. Everyone says hello. The main grazing and garden areas are located a few kilometers out of town. Flowers were in bloom and the islanders were all rejoicing over a good year of lobstering which was coming to a close.

A view of Inaccessible Island in the distance. The two rocks sticking up are called "the Hardies".

Above, the "patches" are the vegetable growing areas which the islanders maintain. They are neatly sectioned off by walls of volcanic rock. Tristan "taters" are a staple crop and we enjoyed them all the way to Cape Town.

The island is noted for its birdlife, but we didn't get the chance to spend much time birdwatching unfortuately. Rockhopper penguins are resident here and the other Tristan islands, but we "borrowed" this photo from the Tristan website because we saw nary a one.

The island has a small supermarket which is fairly well-stocked on dry and canned goods and predictably low on fresh produce. The islanders rely on infrequent  boats from South Africa for items not produced on the island.

The Residency of the British Administrator above had an outstanding view of the Atlantic. We took tea with Administrator Michael Hentley and his wife, Janice and enjoyed a great chat about their life in the Foreign Service.

Only 2 nights were spent at Tristan and the weather changed and we reluctantly needed to move on. We still had 1,500 miles to Cape Town and the days were ticking quickly on towards Christmas. We arrived in Cape Town on 21 December after a rough last day of 35 knot winds on the nose, nasty waves and a  north setting current. The wind subsided and the sun appeared as we sailed into Table Bay.

Crossing the Prime Meridian (0 longitude).

Check out the official Tristan da Cunha website at www.tristandc.com/newsshipping0506.php Our visit is noted in their "Shipping News".

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Magnificent Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa